1918 circa Noir Lucile Day Dress with Medieval Influences
SOLD
Label: Lucile Ltd / 19 East 54th St. / New York.
Origin: French
Materials: silk, cotton, linen
Label: Lucile Ltd / 19 East 54th St. / New York.
Origin: French
Materials: silk, cotton, linen
Description: Most folks nowadays know Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon as the fashion designer who was on the Titanic and escaped in a lifeboat. But she is an important designer and has a prominent place in fashion history. Ever heard of the phrase "the It Girl"? That phrase came from a book that her sister wrote. And Lucile designed the clothes to fit this fantastic persona.
She was the designer of Edwardian lingerie (remember Rose's comment about Lady Duff Gordon designing naughty lingerie that was very popular with the royals? That is entirely accurate -- her lingerie was snapped up by the rich, the noble and the royal and was considered the height of fashion).
Her dresses and gowns are highly collectible and highly desireable. They have continually gone up in value.
This dress is incredible. It's representative of the heady, fast-changing fashion times just after World War I, when women's roles were changing and there was much experimentation going on regarding fashion design. This day dress in it's time would have presented a breath of fresh air, perhaps even a bit shocking, as its hemline is much-raised. It has an interesting Medieval influence, as seen in the scalloped sleeves.
The embroidery is incredible. Dense French knots. Tight, precise stitching. Exhuberant foliate designs.
Condition: Near Mint
This gown is in almost perfect, almost new condition.
The silk is fresh and supple. The collar is clean and has no foxing -- and it's crisp as if it was just pressed in Lucile's shop yesterday. The only things worth mentioning are two extremely small, faint, faint discolorations, one at the left front hem and one at the left shoulder. The area looks like a brownish black instread of a true black, but you have to really look to notice it.